The traitor. Sophie was just as bad as Dawn—no, she was worse, because at least Dawn owned up to her sneaky, manipulative ways. Sophie was like one of those fluffy, adorable baby owls that blinked innocently before swooping down and murdering entire meerkat colonies. She was a fighter, that one. She’d had to be, since most of her childhood had been spent battling leukemia.

All the sisters’ roles in life had been defined by that illness—of those years spent living in a hospital, of never knowing if Sophie’s next breath would be her last. It was in everything they said and did. Sophie looked fragile, yes, but she was forged of steel. On the surface, Dawn offered nothing but saucy indifference, but her heart was as soft and mushy as a bowl of oatmeal. And Lila, well…

Lila got things done. One of them had to, and as the eldest, the task had naturally fallen to her.

“Hello, Anya?” Lila tucked the handset against her chin. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is marvelous, darling. Absolutely marvelous.” Anya’s voice was breathy and fluttering, more suited for an East Coast society dame than the director of a nonprofit the size of the Auditory Guild, but Lila wasn’t fooled. Anya could rip someone apart faster than Sophie and her meerkats. “Listen, I had a chance to talk with Mr. Ford last night, and I want you to know that I’m very pleased with how you’re handling things so far.”

“Oh. Um.” Lila blinked and looked at Sophie, who was holding up some kind of yellow sundress that was laughable for this time of year. Lila shook her head and tried to focus on the call. “I’m glad he likes the puppy Emily picked out. She went with the cockapoo, which was one of my top choices. He’s smart and sweet and just the right size for a child.”

“Oh, yes. The cockapoo. Of course.”

There was a pause that Lila knew from experience presaged a piece of news she wasn’t going to like. She’d only known Anya Askari for a little over a year, but with that woman, a few months was all it took. Even before she’d run the Guild, Anya had been a fierce advocate for hearing services, a role she’d risen to after her two young children had been diagnosed with auditory processing disorders. If you wanted to do any kind of work in the field—and Lila did—Anya was there to make sure you did it correctly.

Lila respected the hell out of the woman. She was also terrified of her.